Retractable stand for flatirons



July 7, 1953 F. E. FINLAYSON ,2

RETRACTABLE STAND FOR FLATIRONS Filed Dec. 31. 1949 Invnoori. Pr-611k EFinlayson,

,. by I I'Us Attorney.

Patented July 7, 1953 RETRACTABLE STAND FOR FLATIRONS Frank E. Finlayson, Ontario, Califl, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application December 31, 1949, Serial No. 136,244

Claims. 1

My invention relates to a heating device in the form of a flatiron or sadiron used for pressing garments or fabrics. More particularly, my invention relates to a stand or support for a fiatiron, built into the iron itself. The preferred form of my invention contemplates a flatiron support which is concealed within the iron excepting when it is extended for use as a support.

In recent years various attempts have been made to provide flatirons with what are called low angle supports, which are designed to hold a flatiron above an ironing board or other supporting surface at a comparatively low or slight angle with respect to the surface. Such supports have also been designed particularly for automatic operation, that is, they are extendable without conscious effort on the part of the user Whenever the iron is tilted slightly rearwardly and are retractable when the iron is again moved to horizontal position or pushed forwardly in the mannernatural for pressing fabrics. My invention in its best form relates to automatic stands of this character.

Gravity actuated fiatiron stands are shown and claimed in a patent of Alfred G.. Swenson, No. 2,501,549 of March 21, 1950, assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. My invention may be considered an improvement over constructions disclosed therein, although obviously my design is not limited in all respects to gravity actuatedstands.

Another patent of Alfred G. Swenson, No. 2,582,082 of January 8, 1952, assigned to the same assignee, discloses a concealed automatically operated stand. From another standpoint the present invention may be considered as an improvement on the constructions disclosed therein, 'although obviously certain aspects of the present invention need not be limited to concealed stands or to those which are operated automatically;

The principal object of my invention is to provide an inexpensive support of small size for fiatirons. In its preferred form my support may be concealed within the iron because of its small size, and it lends itself to automatic operation by gravity.

The objects of my invention are met by providing a pivoted supporting leg in which the prin-= cipal portion of the leg is of arcuate form, the leg being swung to supporting position about its pivot through a circle which includes the arc of the leg.

Other objects, and the details of that which I believe to be novel and my invention, will be tilted and supported relation with respect to an ironing surface; Fig. 3 is a vertical side section on a larger scale through a part of the soleplate of the iron showing the supporting structure inv retracted position; Fig. 4 is a section on the line and in the direction of the arrows 44 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a plan view of apart of the soleplate and supporting structure of Fig. 3 with parts broken away for clarity, and Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the supporting leg in extended position.

Although I have illustrated an electrically heated iron to which my invention is applied it is. obvious that the, invention might be applied to irons of other types, such as those heated by' gas or other medium. The iron of the drawings includes a soleplate I upon which a soleplate cover 2 is secured in any suitable fashion,.as by the studs or screws 3, this cover forming a closed chamber 4 above the soleplate. It will be noted that a heel rest 5 is provided at the rear end of the iron, in this instance by extending the cover beyond the end so that it overhangs the heel end of the soleplate.

The usual handle 6 for the ironis also provided, and any necessary control knobs or buttons such as indicated at I. In an electrically heated iron the control knob will actuate a switch or thermostat (not shown) which will regulate the temperature of a heating element (also not shown) usually located in or on the soleplate. Power to the heating element may be supplied through the'usual cord set, one end of which is indicatedat 8 in the drawings.

All of the above numbered parts or their equivalents may be found in irons manufactured and sold widely today. Myparticular improvement concerns a support for holding the heated soleplate above an ironing boardor other non zontal supporting surface so that the iron will not accidentally scorch the surface. I have shown a simple design which might be applied to many irons already in existence. It includes but three principal parts, and only two of these-are absolutely necessary to the functioning ofltlie invention. The two essential parts are the stand or support itself and a mounting bracket or other means for holding the stand in operative relation on the iron. The optional third part is a noise deadener friction spring which is used to obtain quiet operation of the stand. of course, a standard soleplate would have to be modified slightly in order to apply these parts thereto as shown in the drawing, but this will be clear from the description which follows.

The support comprises a leg member generally indicated at 9 which I have found may be suitably formed from a single piece of heavy auge stainless steel wire or rod. This support has a central straight portion 10 which extends transversely of the soleplate and :is pivotally seated therein to rotate on its longitudinal axis as in the transverse groove II in the top of the soleplate. Extending in a plane normal to the axis of rotation of the section I!) of the support, and at either end of this section are radial leg portions 12. With the design shown, these radial portions are not absolutely straight, but are substantially so excepting for a slight .offset to clear other parts. Extending from the ends of these radial portions on each leg are arcuate portions l3 which swing about the axis of the portion in when it rotates, in a path which coincides with the circle from which the arc is taken. The end of the arcuate portion on each of the two legs of the support shown passes freely through a hole M in the soleplate. This hole is countersunk as shown "at I in the pressing surface of the sol-eplate in order to accommodate an enlargement 16 on the end of the arcuate leg, the enlargement being shown here as an L-shaped section which extends in a direction rearwardly of .the iron when the supporting legs are in retracted position. The enlarged ends on the legs may serve as stops to limit movement toward retracted position, by engagement with the countersunk portions in the soleplate. I

Welded or otherwise suitably secured to the radial portion of each of the legs is acounter weight [1. These counterweight-s are so designed and positioned with respect to the remainder of the supporting leg and its pivot section that upon a slight tilting of the i-iron downwardly toward its heel end the counterweights will be lifted by the soleplate and the legs with the :counterweights will swing clockwise .(downwardly and forwardly of the iron) to the position shownin Fig. 6. The iron may then be placed on ahorizontal supporting surface and held thereabove by the heel rest andby the supporting legs asshown in Fig. 2.

The center of gravity of the iron is such that a perpendicular line dropped from it to the sup" porting surface, when the iron is in the position of Fig. ,2, will fall in the area between the points where the heel rest and where-the suppcrtinglegs touch the supporting surface. Therefore, the iron will be firmly supported in this raised and slightly tilted position and the supporting legs will remain in extended position until a user moves the iron forwardly toward the usual pressing position. When the iron is moved forwardly toward ironing position without raising it from the supporting surface, the tips of the legs engaging the supporting surface will rotat the legs in a counterclockwise direction (rearwardly and upwardly of the iron) as shown in the drawings, until the counterweighted legs assume retracted position and are held there by gravity because the iron is now more nearly'horizontal. See Fig. 3., in which the counterweights rest on thetop 4 surface of the soleplate, which thereby acts as a stop.

The supporting legs of the iron illustrated may be retracted also by tipping the iron to horizontal position and slightly beyond, that is, by slightly depressing the front end of the iron from a horizontal position, without pushing it against the pressing surface. This method of operating the le s is not as convenient as the one described above, but may be used when it is desired to retract the legs without moving the iron across the pressing surface.

In order to hold-the pivoted support within the iron .I provide a bracket generally indicated at l8 suitably secured to the soleplate as by screws l9 and extending over the groove H to hold the section L0 in place although allowing it to rotate. Guide ears 2 are provided on either end of the bracket :next to the groove in order to prevent excessive sidewise motion of the supporting member when it is pivoted. Other ears 2| are provided at the other end of the bracket and these are located .under the radial portions of the supporting legs to serve as stops for limiting the movement of the legs toward extended position, as shown inFigfi. V V The above-described construction will operate satisfactorily to produce an automatic gravity actuated supporting stand for the flatiron. How: ever, because of the metallic nature of theparts, the operation of the stand may be accompanied by an annoying ringing or clicking noise, especially when the iron is tilted to extend the stand. This noise may be reduced or eliminated by providing a cushion or silencer .shown here in the form of a thin, readily flexed U- shaped spring member 22, the bight of. which is held under the bracket [8 by the screws l9. Upstanding sides 23. with outwardly flared ends 24 are provided on this spring and are positioned close to the outer sides of the supporting legs. When the supporting legs swing toward extended position, the radial portions of these legs will gently engage first the flared ends and then the side portions of the spring, gradually stopping the swinging of the stand. This will prevent the otherwise annoying ringing sound which takes place when the legs strike against the stops :21 on the bracket. For proper operation when the friction spring silencer is used, the sides .of the spring should not be set so, closely to the supporting legs that they hold the legs, but merely close enough so that movement of the legs is slightly retarded at the end of the swing.

A suitable lubricant such as a graphite and carbon-tetrachloride solution may be applied to the bearing surfaces of the stand, in the groove II in the soleplate, and on the friction surface of the legs where they engage the silencerspringsj The materials for the parts of the stand m ybe variously selected as long as they meet the reguirements of strength and heat resistance encountered in service.

I have shown the ends of the arcuatelegs as feet. to be obtained is that of a more or less ,ra,

dially extending portion at the end of the curved section so that when the iron is resting on the support, the weight of the iron will tendtokeepj the support extended and not push it back into plate when the ir'on'isin use, extendrearwardly, and rest slightly above the pressing surface as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. This prevents interference of the flatiron' support with fabric being ironed. Although the support extends through the soleplate, by using the L-shaped ends on the legs the areaoccupied by the support in the soleplate is negligible. This, together with the arcuate shape of the arms which keeps the hole through the soleplate small in size insures that substantially all of the pressing surface is available for use. The arcuate shape of the arms also cuts down on the size of space needed above the soleplate for the support when it is retracted. Therefore, it may be easily concealed under the cover.

As will be evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of my invention are not limited to the particular details of construction of the example illustrated, and I contemplate that various and other modifications and applications of the invention will occur to those skilled in the art. It is therefore my intention that the appended claims shall cover such modifications and applications as do not depart from the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and. desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In an iron of the type having a soleplate, a soleplate cover forming a chamber above the soleplate, and a heel rest at the rear end of the soleplate, a gravity actuated support for said iron for holding it at a slight angle above a horizontal supporting surface, comprising a pair of legs, a common pivot for the legs with an axis extending transversely of the iron above said soleplate under said cover, a substantially radial portion on each leg extending normally from said common pivot axis under said cover, an arcuate portion on each leg connected to the radial portion thereof and curved in a portion of a circle centered on said pivot axis, said s'ole=- plate having a pair of holes therein through which said arcuate portions may swing when said legs are moved about the common pivot, a counterweight secured to the radial portion of each leg for moving said legs by gravity pivotally to extended position below said soleplate when the iron is tilted downwardly at its rear end and to retracted position within said chamber when said iron is parallel to said supporting surface, and an L-shaped end on the arcuate portion of each leg, said legs when extended and said'h'eel rest constituting the support for the iron.

2. In an iron of the type having a soleplate, a soleplate cover forming a chamber above the soleplate, and a heel rest at the rear end of the soleplate, a movable support carried by said iron for holding it at an angle above a horizontal supporting surface, comprising a leg member, a pivot for the leg member on the iron with an axis of rotation extending transversely of the iron above the soleplate under said cover, a substantially radial portion on the leg extending normally from said pivot axis under said cover, an arcuate portion on the leg connected to the radial portion thereof and curved on the arc of a circle having the pivot axis as its center, said soleplate having a hole therein through which said arcuate portion of the leg member may swing when said leg member is moved about the pivot, means for moving the arcuate portion of said leg pivotally downwardly and forwardly of the iron to an extended position below said soleplate when the iron is tilted downwardly at its rear end-and upwardly and rearwardly to a retracted position within said chamber when said iron is parallel to said supporting surface, said leg when extended and said heel rest constituting the support for the iron.

3. In an iron of the type having a soleplate, a soleplate cover forming a chamber above the soleplate, and a heel rest at the rear end of the soleplate, a gravity actuated support for said iron for holding it at an angle above a horizontal supporting surface, comprising a leg memher, a pivot for the leg member on the iron with an axis of rotation extending transversely of the iron above the soleplate under said cover, a substantially radial portion on the leg extending normally from said pivot axis to a point entirely under said cover, an arcuate portion on the leg connected to the radial portionthereof and curved on the arc of a circle having the pivot axis as its center, said soleplate having a hole therein through which said arcuate portion of the leg member may swing when said leg memher is moved about the pivot, a counterweight secured to the radial portion of the leg member for moving said leg by gravity pivotally to extended position below said soleplate when the iron is tilted downwardly at its rear end and to retracted position within said chamber when said iron is parallel to said supporting surface, and an enlarged end on the arcuate portion of said leg, said leg when extended and said heel rest constituting the support for the iron.

4. In an iron of the type having a soleplate, a soleplate cover forming a chamber above the soleplate, and a heel rest at the rear end of the soleplate, a movable support carried by said iron for holding it :at an angle above a horizontal supporting surface, comprising a leg member, a pivot for the leg member on the iron with an axis of rotation extending transversely of the iron above the soleplate under said cover, a substantially radial portion on the leg extending normally from said pivot axis under said cover, an arcuate portion on the leg connected to the radial portion thereof and circular about the pivot axis as its center, said sole-plate having a hole therein through which said arcuate portion of the leg member may swing when said leg member is moved about the pivot, means for moving the arcuate portion of said leg pivotally downwardly and forwardly of the iron to an extended position below said soleplate when the iron is tilted downwardly at its rear end and upwardly and rearwardly to a retracted position substantially entirely within said chamber when said iron is parallel to said supporting surface, a countersunk edge on said hole'in the soleplate, and an enlarged end on the arcuate portion of said leg, said enlarged end being housed within the countersunk edge when said leg is in said retracted position, said leg when extended and said heel rest constituting the support for the iron.

5. In an iron of the type having a soleplate, a soleplate cover attached above the soleplate, and a heel rest at the rear end of the soleplate, a movable support carried by said iron for holding it at an angle above a horizontal supporting surface, comprising a pair of legs, a common pivot axis for the legs with said axis extending transversely of the iron substantially forwardly of said heel rest above said sole plate and below the level of the top of said cover, a substantially radial portion on each leg extending from said pivot in a plane of movement normal to said 7 pivot axis to a free end below the level of the top of said cover, an arcuate portion on each le connected to the free end of the radial portion thereof and circmar about the pivot axis as its center, means for moving said legs pivotally to an extended position below said soleplate when the iron is tilted downwardly at its rear end and to a retracted position when said iron is parallel to said supporting surface, said radial portions each extending upwardly from the pivot axis when said legs are retracted and swinging downwardly and rearwardly of the iron to a position in which these portions of the legs are rearward ly of the pivot and substantially parallel to the soleplate when said legs are extended, said arcuate portions extending from the ends of said radial portions rearwardly of the iron and downwardly toward the plane of the soleplate when in retracted position, and extending downwardly below the plane of the solepl'ate and forwardly of the heel rest when in extended position, said legs when extended and said heel rest constituting the support for the iron.

FRANK E. FINLAYSON.

References Cited in the file of this patent- UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,549,954 Ball Aug. 18, 1925 1,841,037 Keeper Jan. 12, 1932 2,308,941 Stevenson Jan. 19, 1943 2,501,549 Swenson Mar. 21, 1950' FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 49,545 Sweden Aug. 4, 1 919 

